Star Anise Snickerdoodles Recipe | I Can Cook That (2024)

By Kaitlin 10 Comments

Boy did I start my cookie baking late this year! I can’t believe Christmas is just days away. I was recently sent a beautiful carved cinnamon bark box with 3 oz of Vietnam cinnamon by World Vision so I wanted to make a cookie recipe that would feature cinnamon, so I had to make snickerdoodles! This recipe for Star Anise Snickerdoodles from Cooking Light adds ground star anise to traditional sugar cookies for a subtle different take on the classic.

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With a financial contribution, the gift giver can select one of 36 items that you will get while helping a person in need. The cinnamon used in this recipe comes with a donation of $85. The wonderful people at World Vision Gift Catalog have offered to give another Prosperity Cinnamon Box away to a lucky reader!

More after the recipe …

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground star anise (about 2 pods)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

I ground 2 star anise in my Magic Bullet and then measured out 1/2 teaspoon; if you can’t find whole star anise, you can use ground anise as a substitute.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, ground star anise, salt, and cream of tartar in a medium sized bowl, whisking to combine.

Add butter to a separate medium bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed 30 seconds or until smooth.

Add 1 cup sugar and vanilla and beat until well combined.

Add the egg, beating for 1 minute or until well combined.

Add flour mixture and beat at low speed for 30 seconds.

Shape dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 375°. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Shape the dough into 24 balls. Roll dough balls in cinnamon mixture, coating completely.

Place balls 3 inches apart on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 11 minutes or until edges are golden, rotating pans after 6 minutes. Cool on pans for 5 minutes.

Remove cookies from pans and cool on wire racks.

Yum! The anise flavor is very subtle but really enhances the snickerdoodles!

I made my boyfriend my guinea pig and had him taste a cookie before I told him the “secret ingredient.” He agreed that they tasted great but you can’t necessarily place anise as the extra flavor you taste. I love this spin on snickerdoodles!

Want to win a the Prosperity box of cinnamon courtesy of World Vision? All you have to do is use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. Good luck!

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Star Anise Snickerdoodles

Recipe Type: Dessert, Make Ahead

Author: I Can Cook That

Prep time:

Cook time:

Total time:

Serves: 24

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground star anise (about 2 pods)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. I ground 2 star anise in my Magic Bullet and then measured out 1/2 teaspoon; if you can’t find whole star anise, you can use ground anise as a substitute.
  2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, ground star anise, salt, and cream of tartar in a medium sized bowl, whisking to combine.
  3. Add butter to a separate medium bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed 30 seconds or until smooth.
  4. Add 1 cup sugar and vanilla and beat until well combined.
  5. Add the egg, beating for 1 minute or until well combined.
  6. Add flour mixture and beat at low speed for 30 seconds.
  7. Shape dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour.
  8. Preheat your oven to 375°. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
  9. Shape the dough into 24 balls. Roll dough balls in cinnamon mixture, coating completely.
  10. Place balls 3 inches apart on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 11 minutes or until edges are golden, rotating pans after 6 minutes. Cool on pans for 5 minutes.
  11. Remove cookies from pans and cool on wire racks.
Star Anise Snickerdoodles Recipe | I Can Cook That (2024)

FAQs

How do you know when snickerdoodles are done baking? ›

How do you know when the cookies are baked? The snickerdoodle cookies will only take about 10 to 12 minutes to bake, so be sure to keep your eye on them! It's best to rotate the cookies after about 6 minutes so that the cook evenly. The cookies are done when the edges are just set and the centres are soft and cracked.

Why are my snickerdoodle cookies dry? ›

If they get too brown, chances are that they will be overdone, resulting in a dry, crumbly cookie. Cookies tend to set up a bit more after they are taken out of the oven, so make sure to allot your cookies time to continue cooking on the baking sheet until they're firm enough to transfer to a wire rack to fully cool.

Why do my snickerdoodle cookies go flat? ›

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot. Here's what's happening. The butter melts super quickly in a too-hot oven before the other ingredients have firmed up into a cookie structure. Therefore, as the butter spreads so does the whole liquidy cookie.

Why did my snickerdoodles spread so much? ›

Excess Sugar and Fat

Measuring is key in baking. If your cookie contains excess sugar or fat, it will spread while baking.

Are snickerdoodles supposed to be undercooked? ›

Slightly under-baking the snickerdoodles also guarantees a softer cookie. Take them out of the oven after about 10-11 minutes. This will keep the interior of the cookie soft and chewy.

What can cause a cookie to be not moist enough? ›

Eggs bind the ingredients and make for moist, chewy cookies. Adding too many eggs can result in gummy, cake-like cookies. Adding too few eggs can result in dry, crumbly cookies.

How to fix snickerdoodle dough? ›

Overmixing the dough

If you overmix the dough, the cookies will be dry and crumbly. The best way to fix this is to add more liquid to the dough. This can be done by adding milk, water, or even melted butter. You may also need to add more flour to the dough if it is too wet.

Why aren't my snickerdoodles puffy? ›

How do you make snickerdoodles puffy and soft? The secret's in the ratio of butter to leavener to flour to egg. Don't use shortening here; you'll miss the flavor of butter. Slightly under-baking the snickerdoodles also guarantees a softer cookie.

Is snickerdoodle cookie dough supposed to be sticky? ›

If the dough is sticky, you have too much liquid. Add a tablespoon of flour at a time until the stickiness goes away. If your cookies are sticky after you bake them, they didn't look long enough.

Why don't my snickerdoodles crack? ›

If yours aren't cracking, your oven may not be hot enough or your ingredients may not be fresh enough! Are snickerdoodles supposed to be undercooked? I always recommend slightly underbaking your cookies and then letting them finish baking through cooling on the pan.

How do you know when a snickerdoodle is done? ›

Bake until they are puffed and slightly cracked, about 9-11 minutes.

Why does snickerdoodle dough need to be refrigerated? ›

Refrigerating snickerdoodle dough lets the butter resolidify and prevents the cookies from flattening out in the oven. I recommend giving the dough at least 45-60 minutes of chilling time in the fridge before baking.

Why is my snickerdoodle sour? ›

If your snickerdoodles are too sour, you may have added too much cream of tartar. It does give the cookies a subtle sour-tangy flavor, but it should not be over-powering and should balance nicely with the cinnamon and sugar.

How do you know when to stop baking cookies? ›

Easy to Notice Signs:

Golden Brown Edges – Check the edges of the cookies for a golden brown colour. This indicates that the cookies have caramelized and are likely done. However, keep in mind that different recipes may yield cookies with different levels of browning. Set Centres – Gently touch the centre of a cookie.

How do you know when baking is done? ›

The toothpick test – a toothpick or knife should come out clean after inserting into the centre. The internal temperature should be around 98°C/210°F.

Is Snickerdoodle cookie dough supposed to be sticky? ›

If the dough is sticky, you have too much liquid. Add a tablespoon of flour at a time until the stickiness goes away. If your cookies are sticky after you bake them, they didn't look long enough.

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